Wednesday, April 18, 2007

And they said you couldn't make a dairy-free chicken pot pie! I am very happy to have come up with this one because creamy and comforting casseroles are hard to come by without cheese or cream . . .

*Schoolhouse Chicken Pot Pie*

1. The chicken. You can go with a whole chicken, parts, or boneless breasts. For 6-8 people I put maybe six breasts in the pot and add chicken broth to cover. Simmer gently, covered, until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken from broth and let cool, then shred or cut. Save broth.

2. The veggies. Dice an onion, and thinly slice 5-6 peeled carrots and several stalks of celery. Also mince a clove of garlic. Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet and saute your veggies until onion is transparent and vegetables are fragrant. Stir in one or two cups of frozen peas.Salt and pepper, and sprinkle with thyme if you want.

3. The sauce. Now bring your broth back up to a boil, and mix up thickener as for gravy. For a thinner sauce, whisk 1/3 cup flour into a cup of cold water, and add this to your simmering stock. Whisk until thickened. If you want thicker gravy, reduce your stock first and/or use more flour. Taste for seasonings.

4. The biscuits. Heat oven to 425. Pam a large pan (I use a roaster because this recipe makes a lot) and fill it with the chicken, vegetables, and sauce gently stirred together. Mix up a batch of biscuits, keeping them on the wet side. Drop the dough randomly over the top of the casserole--depending on the size of the surface most to all of it will be covered with dough. Slide into oven and bake until appropriately browned.

5. Your family will thank you.

6. I always associate this with an al fresco dinner I served to the neighbors on a perfect evening in May. We all gathered around a large table, and during the entire meal persimmon blossoms dropped from the tree into our glasses of iced tea.

Interesting. In my Mennonite community, this is called "chicken and dumplings" and cooked on top of the stove. For me, "pot pie" is homemade noodles with chicken and potatoes made like a stew. ANd flavored with saffron. I think I'd like to try your oven method.

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Photography

Photography is an important part of life at my house. Photos that appear here are taken by Giles, by the Composer, and by me. Giles is a real, paid photographer, and he uses a Sony Alpha. Most of the photography prior to September 2008 is his. Since then I have done most of the shooting and I use a Konica Minolta. Additionally, the Composer offers me nice shots on occasion, often from his little Canon point and shoot. I've given up trying to note who's done what. Thanks for your interest!